1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of protective case accessory for cellular Smartphone devices and Software Applications running on such devices. More specifically, the invention comprises a Multi-Function button integrated into a cellular smartphone protective case accessory, using a Bluetooth transceiver also embedded in the smartphone protective case accessory that is configured to attach to a smartphone device, facilitating the initiation or activation of features or software applications running on the Smartphone device, or both and also serves as a protective case for the smartphone device.
2. Description of Related Art
There are many known protective case devices for protecting hand-held smartphone devices. Most of these are made from plastic or rubber or a combination of both and have no interaction with the cellular phone device and serve only to protect such device and sometimes adding aesthetic value to the user. However, there are some protective cases that do interact with the cellular phone device. Some offer back up power to extend the cellular phone talk time or some may include an integrated card reader that facilitate scanning of a credit card and communicating the card information to the cellular phone that uses a software application to process the credit card information. These devices may use electrical connections such as conductive metal contacts or wireless connections such as Bluetooth, to interface to the cellular phone device.
Portable smart phone devices facilitate the use of a plethora of applications available for download from any available APP store that allow the device to be used for multiple applications such as gaming, social networking, navigation and many more. There are available accessories that connects wirelessly to the Smartphone or plug into the accessory jack on the Smartphone, that when combined with a software application running on the Smartphone, serves as a multifunction button allowing the user to activate features and applications on the phone by using a series of pre-programmed presses of the multifunction button to activate each feature or software application. One such type of application is programming a short press of the multifunction button to activate the camera feature in the Smartphone to take a picture. Another application is programming a long press of the multifunction button to toggle the mute function or flashlight application on the Smartphone. There can also be a series of long and short presses of the multifunction button programmed to activate any of the embedded features or downloaded software applications on the Smartphone. By using a dedicated button to activate select features or application on the Smartphone it allows the user to quickly access and activate the feature without having to turn on the display, unlock the phone, select the feature or application and activate it.
Available multifunction button accessories for Smartphone's such as those that are inserted into the accessory connector of the Smartphone prevents the use of wired accessories when plugged in and can be misplaced if removed. Alternatively, wireless multifunction buttons although still allowing access to the accessory connector on the Smartphone can also be misplaced or is designed to be mounted in a fixed location (such as in a vehicle) thus limiting the use of the multifunction button.
Standard smart-phone protective case accessories, although providing variable amount of protection and sometimes interfacing with the portable smart-phone device, do not facilitate the use of a multifunction button, providing easier and quicker access to activate features and software applications on the Smartphone and providing tactical feedback to the user and ease of use when wearing gloves. Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.